Conscious decisions and deep integrations are defining influencer marketing

Our guest author says a product placement in an influencer’s content is not enough anymore.

When you think about it, influencer marketing has existed for much longer than anyone could remember. People relied on television, radio, and print ads for product suggestions before there were social media channels. Nonetheless, even the earliest marketers realised that using important and famous persons in their advertisements may influence consumers' buying decisions.

The internet has transformed the world. Consumers used to look up to companies, but now they look up to each other and celebrities with large followings on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms.

As the world heads towards a volatile marketing era, one thing remains certain: our lives will become increasingly digital and influencer marketing will continue to play a predominant role in it.

Here are some noteworthy statistics from Influencer Marketing Hub:

Content creation is the forte of influencers, which is what marketers are looking for. The reach and impact of influencers have grown in 2021. As brands try to engage consumers via influencers, the influencer marketing industry is set to reach $16.4 billion by the end of 2022.

The age of influencer marketing is continuously evolving. In its initial years, brands placed a product with an influencer and nothing could go wrong, but that’s not the case anymore.

The short-lived era of superficial influencer marketing is over. Influencer marketing strategies have evolved along with their audience.

This is the age of deeply integrated influencer marketing. Brands have to consciously decide and plan marketing activities when an influencer is involved. The influencer’s persona should mirror the brand’s personality to achieve the desired results. Influencer marketing strategies can go horribly wrong if a brand chooses the wrong influencers.

This is a list of brands that have successfully utilised influencer marketing strategies. Carefully examine the following techniques and campaigns.

Influencer campaigns that have mirrored the brands' persona:

H&M & Pete Davidson - “Wear the moment” 

Taco Bell & Tanmay Bhatt  - “Make potato great again”

H&M and Taco Bell utilised the hilarious personalities of Pete Davidson and Tanmay Bhatt respectively to promote products in a humorous way. Humour, when used in the right context, can never go wrong.

Brands that used the Food Bloggers community effectively:

KFC introduced the Double Down Burger by collaborating with multiple popular food blogger groups, reaching millions of followers instantly.

Mahindra organised #GoGustoRides led by influential food bloggers who explored the city’s most acclaimed food joints riding their Gusto.

Brands that took Influencer Marketing to a whole new level:

Ola Prime Time
Ola teamed up with Milind Soman, Narain Karthikeyan, and Abish Mathew, who arrived in cabs reserved for Ola Prime customers, giving them the ride of their lives. A personal touch goes a long way.

Parachute leveraged the influence of the beauty bloggers' community by inviting them to a live demonstration of the “art of oiling” by expert Moses Chundi. Expert advice is always welcomed with open arms.

Reebok & Chetan Bhagat
The “Reboot 100” was a 100-day workout plan promoted by Reebok. Chetan Bhagat followed the plan and shared the results on social media. Real results can easily sway buying decisions.

Final thoughts,

For building brand awareness and recognition effectively, one must research, choose and implement marketing strategies wisely. Choosing the right influencers and campaigns is momentous, to say the least.

If you carefully examine the brands mentioned above, the influencers and the campaigns effectively delivered the brands’ messages and resonated well with the audience.

In this ever-changing digital era, understanding the power of social media influencers and bloggers is the key to success in marketing and branding.

Chirag Dagli is the founder of Communication Crafts. A creative agency based in Ahmedabad which is also a member of afaqs! Marketplace